The EdWin Chronicles
by Stripe
Summary: A collection of oneshots to give you your daily dose of EdWinry.
1. Annoyances

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 1 - Annoyances

* * *

Of the many occupations Edward Elric had believed he might have in the future, teaching was not one of them. He had no desire to ever stand up in front of a class of little kids and try and teach them to read or some other basic life skill. He had a short temper, which was easily lit by any child between the ages of 4 and 12.

Which then begged the question of why, exactly, he was teaching now. He knew the how already. The schoolteacher had fallen ill for a few days and, for whatever reason, he'd been elected to teach the little brats all they needed to know. Was he even old enough to be a teacher? He was barely above the drinking age - did that really make for a proper teacher?

Well, maybe the drinking was a requirement. Maybe the only way to deal with the little brats was to drink their annoyances away once you got home.

Still. Surely there was someone better suited to the job than him. They all knew the basics. Hell, Ed hadn't even graduated elementary school. By the time most of his classmates were getting out of school, he was already in Central, working as a State Alchemist.

Yet the teacher, now with premature graying hair had come to him, suggesting he teach. Well, actually, she had gone to Al, and Al had said yes _without asking him first_.

Edward would pay his brother back one day. He just wasn't sure how yet. But he couldn't exactly go ahead and say "no" on just short notice - especially not to the teacher who used to throw chalk at him to get him to pay attention during math class. She wasn't as bad as Izumi - who had taught him alchemy with her bare fists - or Winry - who taught him wrenches hurt a hell of a lot more than chalk ever could - but he still was wary in angering her.

So he was stuck for the time being.

"Alright," Edward said with an exasperated tone of voice, looking at the curious faces. "So what did all of you learn last time you had class?" He was met with blank stares. Finally, one girl raised her hand and, without waiting for him to offer her permission, began to speak.

"Where's our normal teacher?" she asked with an annoying, bossy sort of tone. Ed frowned. He disliked this girl already.

"She's sick," he responded, trying to hide the irritation from his voice. "Now, what were you learning?" The students all looked at each other, as if trying to determine what to do. Ed raised an eyebrow. They were smarter than they looked. If he didn't know what they were being taught, then he couldn't very well teach it, meaning they'd have a free day. Well, he wasn't about to let that happen. The former state alchemist paused for a few minutes, waiting to see if any of the students would crack.

Nope. Not a one. Well then.

"OK, since no one seems to remember," with this, he cast a critical eye around the classroom, "I'll give you a special lesson today." And with that, he picked up a piece of chalk and began to draw a circle on the board. He could hear a few of the kids groan, while a few others seemed genuinely interested. "Who here has heard of alchemy?" With the circle complete, he turned to see everybody raising their hands. He turned back to his work and drew two overlapping traingles as well, making a star-shape. When he truned back around to see the class's response, everyone was looking at the shape he'd made curiously.

Everyone, that was, except for the girl who'd asked him the question before, who was raising her hand and staring vacantly. Ed glared at her. Seeing that she had his attention, she began to speak. "You're Mr. Edward, right?"

"Yeah," he replied dully. "Now, does anybody know anything about the runes-"

"And you live with Ms. Winry, right?" the girl asked, looking up at him with big innocent eyes. Ed was cautious. He didn't care what people said - kids were evil, scheming little creatures. He didn't trust her. She was plotting something.

"For the time being. Now-"

"Are you two gonna get married?" Ed nearly choked at this question. Kids really didn't respect their teachers anymore.

"That's none of your business." He should have just said no. They weren't even dating - they were just friends. But somehow, Ed couldn't help but hope that her question might one day be answered with a "yes."

Another girl decided to speak up this time. "Ooo... You are, aren't you? That's so sweet!" She squealed.

"What?" Edward could tell his face was heating up. "No! No, we're not!" God, he was right. These kids _were_ plotting against him. The kids paused for a moment. Great. Now maybe they'd keep their stupid little mouths closed...

"Now, anyways, the fundamental princible in alchemy is-"

"Do you _want_ to marry her?" Ed resisted the temptation to pull his hair out. Oh for goodness sakes. Could these kids _not_ drop the subject? Maybe if he kept on going they'd stop it.

"-is Equivelent Exchange. You can't recieve unless-"

"You like her, don't you?" Even the boys in the class were set against him, it seemed.

"-unless you give something of equal value. For instance, you-"

"You're blushing!" This was another girl, one who was probably old enough to be leaving school next year. Alright, this tactic didn't seem to be working well. These kids certainly knew how to be aggravating.

"-you cannot change a glass of water into a tree-"

"Ed and Winry sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"ALRIGHT! I give! Fine, I do love Winry! I do want to marry her! But that isn't any of your business!" The class shrunk back slightly, alarmed by his sudden outburst. This was exactly why he shouldn't teach. "You guys won't be getting married for ten more years anyways. Why should you care? Just let me teach, and then you can go on your way. Oh," he paused, chalk in his hand as he prepared to write something on the board. "And if you mention a word of this to _anybody _-_ especially _Winry - I will kill you."

And the class was extremely well-behaved the rest of the day. Needless to say, Edward Elric did not handle annoyances well.

------------

Alphonse Elric stood in front of the school-age children in Resembool, leaning down to be the same height as them. "So, how did it go?" he asked them quietly, a mischevious grin across his face. "What'd he say?"

The first girl to speak up raised her hand.

"Yes, Mindy?"

"He said he _loved_ Ms. Winry and that he wanted to _marry_ her," she answered with a sweet smile.

"Good job. Now, how much was it? 200 sens each?" The children nodded vigorously, hands outstretched. Al managed to empty his wallet paying them - luckily he had enough on him to give everyone their share. They all left after receiving their money, likely to buy some candy or something. Al straightened, pausing for a moment. It was probably about time for him to go home.

Sure, maybe he was short several thousand sen.

But the bargaining power he now held against his older brother was _priceless_.

* * *

Author's Notes -

This one I actually wrote in July sometime. But I hads forgotten about so I never uploaded it. I do enjoy reading it, tho. It was very fun to write. I think it's one of my favorite works so far.

Yeah. I have an actual multi-chapter fanfiction I should be working on. But one-shots are too fun to write. x3 Anyways, I'll just upload Edwin-related oneshots here whenever I feel fit. Hope you like them!


	2. The Power of Siblings

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 2 - The Power of Siblings

* * *

Alphonse watched his brother quarrel with their childhood friend, a grin spreading across his figurative face. They were both red in the face, but for two different reasons, he was sure.

Winry was, of course, angry with Ed over the usual suspects - wrecking his automail, not telling her why, not telling her anything, never writing, never calling, just being a lousy best friend in general. Her face was flushed red with anger as she desperately tried to get the point across to Ed that, yes, people still cared about him, and getting in such dangerous situations was a _bad_ idea, overall.

Edward, on the other hand, was most likely red because he was trying to argue while keeping eye contact instead of letting his eyes wander down to her lips. It was easy for Al to tell the difference. For one, Edward was failing somewhat desperately in not looking at Winry's mouth, and secondly, he was stuttering. Ed was usually very punctual in arguments, never stuttering, making his point very clear, using his phrasing to cut where it would hurt the most. But here, he seemed at a loss for words.

Which was partly Al's fault. Last time the brothers had really gotten to talking about Winry, Alphonse had "accidentally" let slip a comment along the lines of "I bet you could stop Winry yelling at you if you kissed her." Edward, of course, had started blushing profusely, stuttering similar to the way he was now. A smal chuckle rang through the armor.

"Shouldn't I have the right to know why my own automail gets destroyed everytime you come to see me!? What are you doing that gets you into that much trouble that you total it every other month!?" Winry asked him with an incredulous look on her face.

"Look, Winry. I, uh..." He was looking down at her lips again. He was also losing the argument. Badly. Al would have usually made an attempt to stop it at this point, but he figured it couldn't help to let them go on a little longer. After all, what harm could it do? Other than hurting Edward's confidence. But, truth to be told, his ego did need to be taken down a notch or two anyways.

"You what?" Winry snapped back at him. "You're sorry? Then tell me what's going on!"

Ah, yes. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, indeed.

"Um..." Ed was looking at her mouth again. Al couldn't help but mentally smirk. Was he actually going to...?

"Oh, I suppose you can't, right? Because then I wouldmph!" He did it. Ed closed the few inches that had already been separating their faces and kissed her. Well, Al had been right.

It got her quiet.

* * *

A/N:

Another one I wrote over the summer. And another one where Al helps his brother out in his conquest to marry Winry. I don't like this one as much, but it still amuses me. I've got a few more ficlets I might post, depending on how much I like them when I reread them, so keep an eye out. See ya!


	3. Accomplishment

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 3 - Accomplishment

* * *

Winry had to admit, she was feeling quite pleased with herself. After all, this was a breakthrough in automail technology! Of course, she wouldn't tell anybody about it yet. No, she needed to test it first before she revealed her discovery to the world of automail.

And she had just the guinea pig to do it. Edward would no doubt come back with his arm totalled in a few months. She could then detatch his arm, add on her new breakthrough, and then give it back to him. Of course, she'd need to fine-tune it before he got here - make sure there would be no flaw in the communications, be sure that the results wouldn't damage the automail.

Or damage Ed. Too much, anyways. He'd probably deserve what she was planning, but killing him was not her eventual goal. Once again, the automail mechanic grinned as she looked at her new, perfect arm lying across the workroom table, remote control in hand. With the push of a button, the arm clenched its fist, and swung itself out in a way that likely would have punched whoever was wearing it.

Yes, this was _definitely_ an improvement over the wrench.

* * *

A/N:

This one's pretty short, and not all too romantic. But I find it amusing. Also written over the summer, etc. etc. Pretty basic idea. I'm sure it's been done before. And I promise not all of these are going to be light, happy, and funny.

Just all the ones so far.

Enjoy!


	4. Everything I'm Not

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 4 - Everything I'm Not

* * *

It was exciting news. Roy Mustang had called two days ago, informing them that Edward was back, alive and well, and that he was heading on a train to Resembool. Rose couldn't believe her ears when she heard it. Edward was coming home! Everything was going to be great - a perfect happy ending. If only she could muster up the courage to tie it off... 

She had been waiting for this day for a while, now. Ever since Edward had told her to move on her own, she had known she'd had feelings for him. They'd only grown after he saved her from Dante, and sacrificed himself. And they'd festered over the past two years while she stayed in his hometown, up to the point she could hardly bear it anymore. She'd kept them bottled up all this time, itching to tell someone - anyone - but had never felt the moment was right.

But finally, this was to be her moment. Her lifechanging moment. She could barely stand the wait.

Having busied herself with chores around the Rockbell home to distract herself, Rose paid a quick glance out the kitchen window, brushing away a strand of pink hair. Still no sign of him. She fidgeted a bit, glancing down at her hands, and quickly eyeing herself in the hall mirror. She looked alright. Good enough for a reunion. Ed would find it suspicious if she were all dressed up when he finally came back. Besides, she'd never got the impression he particularly like nice clothing. He wasn't shallow enough to care entirely about that.

Which was why she loved him.

And he would be back any minute now. Rose felt her heart rate pick up considerabley, as well as feel the metaphorical butterflies come out of their cocoons in her stomach. How much longer could she stand to wait?

Well, there couldn't be much harm in going outside. After all, it would make sure he knew how much she had missed him.

Walking a little quicker than normal, she came out to Rockbell Automail's front porch, staring at the horizon. Still no sign of a red coat or blonde braid. She glanced to the porch swing, and was surprised to see somebody already sitting there.

Winry.

Edward's childhood friend and mechanic. Rose supposed that Winry might have been her "competition" of sorts, if she were looking at it that way. But really, she couldn't help but feel that the girl didn't pose a threat as far as Ed's affection went. Winry was too plain, too tomboyish. She looked like any other Amestrian girl - blonde hair, blue eyes. Her hands were rough from always working with metal. She was tough, both mentally and physically, which Rose really did admire about the mechanic, but she had pushed it past the zone of comfort. She was disorganized, outspoken, and often quite lazy. Those qualities were too much like Edward's own, meaning they'd clash and fight too often.

And fighting was perfect for siblings or close friends - they had disagreements from time to time, but they still cared about each other. Really, Rose respected Winry. She knew Winry had known Edward since childhood - seen a side of him Rose would never see. But romantically, the two didn't fit at all. It was simple fact.

And Rose was sure Winry knew that as well.

The mechanic was currently sitting out on the porch, looking blankly at the horizon, a wistful expression on her face. Rose felt bad for her, too. She must have felt as Alphonse did - that a figure from childhood had disappeared forever. Still, she shouldn't look so sad. Edward was coming back! Shouldn't she look a little more excited?

However, due to trying to analyze Winry's expression, Rose missed the blonde head appearing at the top of the hill, older, but still handsome as ever. Winry noticed right away. First, her blue eyes widened a tad, and her expression brightened considerabley. Then, with no time wasted, she pushed herself off of the swing and dashed toward the familiar figure. Glancing over, Rose thought she could see Edward smiling. Of course, Winry was a symbol of home for him. And hopefully she herself would soon be a symbol of love.

Ed wouldn't turn her down, would he? What if he already had another girlfriend in the past two years? Suddenly, Rose felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She hadn't even thought that, maybe, Edward might have found someone else while he was gone.

Still, she'd wait for him to come to her. She wouldn't seem so desperate for his acceptance that way.

Winry and Ed met at the top of the hill, and Winry engulfed Ed in a huge hug. It looked like she was crying, but from this distance, it was hard to tell. Rose smiled a bit. Even from here, she could tell Ed was glowing with hapiness. Well, it didn't seem as if Ed had brought his girlfriend with him, at least. So that probably meant it wasn't serious, or he'd never had one in the first place.

However, as Winry loosened her grip around Edward's shoulders, Rose could tell something wasn't going according to plan. The two were looking at each other as two friends never should. And suddenly, Ed leaned in for a kiss.

Rose felt her blood freeze cold.

She had been wrong about him finding somebody else while he was gone. He'd already had somebody. Rose realized she'd been turned down by him from the first day they'd met. He'd never really had eyes for any other girl.

More than ever, Rose wished her dark skin, violet eyes, and pink-streaked hair could disapear. She wanted to be Amestrian. Pure Amestrian. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin, rough hands, and a boyish attitude to boot. The kind of girl Edward wanted.

And suddenly, Rose realized it wasn't Winry who was crying.

It was her.

* * *

A/N: This is actually something I didn't do last summer. I was about to put something else from summer, but then I realized the other thing I wouldn't put up would have been funny, too. 

I needed some drama in this ficlet collection, durn it!

I wrote this to cheer up a friend, who asked for some sort of resolution on the whole Rose/Ed/Winry situation. I figure this is as good as any.

No Rose bashing is meant by this ficlet. She's just extraordinarily hard to get into character.

Enjoy!


	5. It's a Boy

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 5 - It's a Boy

* * *

Edward had seen women go through childbirth before. Well, he supposed he'd never seen the actual delivery of the baby, but he'd seen the pain the woman had gone through before hand. Still, he never could have imagined how much worse it became when he saw _Winry_ go through that sort of pain. 

He knew Winry was the kind of woman who would try and hide pain. He'd seen her come upstairs with a deep gash across her hand - likely from some stray piece of metal - dripping blood onto the kitchen floor. All she'd show for it was a small grimace as she searched for the bandages and some disinfectant. She didn't complain from the pain. If anything, she complained about wiping the floor clear of blood.

But now, tears were streaming down her face as she struggled to force the child which had been growing inside of her out through the only opening avalible. She was panting visibly, and was obviously being strained. Edward nervously glanced to the midwife.

"Is she going to be..." he started with a weak voice. Sure, he did want a child. Somebody who was a piece of him and Winry, walking around, living an breathing. But if she had to go through _this_ much pain, Ed was wondering if he could reconsider...

"She's going to be fine," the midwife replied with an exasperated expression. "I see the head - it's almost out." Ed let out a sigh, glancing down to his automail hand, which Winry was holding onto as if her life depended on it. He wouldn't be surprised if she broke the fingers she had taken so long to make...

He then glanced over to Winry herself, who was groaning from the effort it took to force out the baby. He looked back to the midwife again, who was now kneeling on the ground preparing to get the child out as soon as possible. "Are you su-"

"Yes, Mr. Elric. Now please let me do my job." The midwife said irritabley, glaring at him for only a moment before going back to helping with the birth.

Ed forwned and squeezed Winry's hand reassuringly with his own human hand. She glanced back up at him, forcing a small smile through the pain. She didn't say anything, but Edward didn't need her to. He didn't want her to waste her breath.

She'd be fine, right? Every mother had to go through this... Still, he couldn't help but tap his foot almost impatiently, trying to get rid of the nerves. He looked down at the floor, not wanting to see his wife in so much pain.

Suddenly, he heard a wailing sound, and his head shot up to see the midwife hold an infant, still wet from the womb. "Congratulations, Mr. Elric," she said with a sort of deadpan tone of voice, which seemed to imply that yes, she knew what she was doing after all. "It's a boy." However, Edward was quick to notice that his wife was still grunting in pain, as if she were still giving birth. With his mouth open slightly, trying to word the question, Ed glanced back to the midwife.

She seemed to notice it too, yet walked over a few feet to hand Edward his new son instead of seeing to the new mother's needs right away. The alchemist held the infant in his human arm, in slight shock. He was still worried about Winry, of course, but the midwife didn't seem too concerned.

He was a _father_ now. It was a strange feeling. He didn't quite know how to react. He sat in the chair by Winry's bed, in a daze. He was really a dad. Would he turn out to be as crappy as his own father was?

No, he'd never leave his family behind. He'd make sure his son knew his father's face. However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted by the midwife holding up another screaming infant. Ed blinked in surprise. Wait, there were two of them...?

"Congratulations, Mr. Elric," the midwife said. "It's another boy."

* * *

A/N: Welcome to the sterotypical birth!fic. With a slight twist at the end. I decided to give Ed and Win boys, too, since I've seen ten million EdWin baby girls. So hopefully this is a _bit_ different.

And this is back to stuff I wrote over the summer. I'm running out of those ficlets, tho. So hopefully I'll be getting some more recent stuff up soon.

Enjoy!


	6. Automail Failure

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 6 - Automail Failure

* * *

His arm was broken, as usual. Actually, it was better than usual - just a few wires which had gotten fused together during a messy transmutation. He needed them replaced, but otherwsie, his automail was fine.

So she'd given him the typical rant about he shouldn't transmute her automail because something like this might happen. It could have been a lot worse. Had he fused the wrong wires, the automail would do more than stop functioning. It would misread the signals from the brain, and possibly injure him. She didn't want to be responsible for that.

But it wasn't so much that he had ruined his automail that had gotten her angry. No, it was what he had said after her well-meaning lecture.

"Damn, Winry. Do you even _care_ about what's attatched to your stupid automail?" He was talking about himself, of course. There was nothing else attatched to her ill-fated automail expect for him.

She couldn't help it. Something about that question - maybe the fact he thought she didn't care - really made her inexplicabley furious. "You idiot!" she screamed, whacking him over the head with her wrench. He looked up at her with a shocked, almost hurt, expression.

"Winry, I-"

"You just don't get it!" she said with the same infuriated tone. She could feel hot tears well up in her eyes that threatened to spill over onto her cheeks. Abruptly, she stood up from her work station and left him to sit with his "stupid automail."

He just didn't understand... he couldn't understand. The reason she cared for the automail was because of who it was attatched to. She wanted to help protect him, even if it was in such an insignificant way. But every time he came back with it ruined was a time it had failed him - a time _she_ had failed him.

No, really, she could care less for the automail. It was just a bunch of wires and metal melded together. What she really cared for was him.

But he'd never understand it.

* * *

A/N: I really don't like this one so much. It's more of a look into Winry's mind than an actual story. I just wanted to keep it up with the daily updates.

This was also written over the summer. I'll try and write something today so that I don't have to post my least favorite tomorrow. Or, at least, I'll edit it to make it a bit better.

Oh, and if you couldn't tell, I lack a spellchecker. You're free to edit if you wish. I'll do something nice for you if you do. x3

Enjoy!


	7. Baseless Rumor

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 7 - Baseless Rumor

* * *

In a small town like Resembool, rumors got around fast.

And how Edward _hated _rumors.

Honestly, just because a young man and a young woman lived in the same house didn't mean they had to be _romantically _involved, did it? He and Winry were just friends! She was just his mechanic, who he also happened to like a bit. _Platonically._

... Alright, so maybe he was fooling himself. But still. That didn't mean they were boyfriend and girlfriend! Surely _Winry _didn't think of him as anything more than a client whom she happened to like a bit.

_Platontically._

After all, she'd turned him down before, right? So what if it was when they were five, her feelings couldn't have changed _that_ much, right? It was only 17 years ago...

Alright. Still. _Platonically._

And, of course, the worst thing about rumors was making contact with other humans. Which was, unfortunately, near impossible to do without locking yourself inside the house. When he walked down the main road, everyone stared. When he walked into a store, everyone inside stared. When he did just about anything, people stared.

And this staring was accompanied by high pitched giggles if Winry was anywhere near him. He hadn't been aware that girls could _make_ high-pitched giggles so loud and annoying, despite having hands hiding their mouths.

That was where he found himself now. Winry had invited him to go grocery shopping with her, which he hadn't been inclined to do at first for this very reason.

However, under the threat of milk, he had quickly changed his mind.

And now Edward was convinced his own personal hell listenening to those giggling girls while drowning in a sea of milk. He almost wasn't sure which was worse, honestly. There was someone, it seemed, at every turn, ready to giggle in front of his face.

He could tell Winry wasn't too fond of this type of attention, either, based on her expression. Personally, he had always believed blue to be a calm, soothing color - like going to the ocean on a quiet day.

However, at the moment, Winry's eyes were anything but calm or soothing. It was as if someone had taken that nice, quiet ocean and dumped a large quantity of sharks there.

It wasn't as if Edward hadn't seen this expression before. But, unlike the other times, the anger was directed at somebody other than him. This was something he could find comort in, depsite the annoying stares and giggles directed at him. At least there was somebody else who despised this attention as much as he did. Though, actually, based on the way she was looking at everybody, it seemed it was possible she despised the unwanted attention even _more_ than he did.

Luckily, there seemed to be nobody at the store, excluding the cashier, who was likely the biggest romantic in Resmbool. Edward din't know her personally - she was about 7 years younger than he was - but by the high pitch of her giggling, he presumed she likely found the situation even more amusing than everybody else.

Her eyes had a creepy look to them as they walked up to pay for their food. Winry's eyes seemed even more dangerous than before. Ed considered walking out to get away from the storm that was brewing inside the store, but at the same time, he wanted to witness the destruction as it happened.

Winry set the basket down on the counter with a dull "thud." The girl giggled cutely.

"So when's the wedding?" she asked as she began to pull supplies out of the grocery basket. Ed flinched. Anymore, he had just forgotten that the "marriage" was between him and Winry - instead, all that seemed to register was the fact that the dark aura gathering Winry had just grown exponentially. Her patience was going to crack at any second now...

All the sudden, Winry turned around and covered the short distance Ed had placed between them, planting her lips on his. Ed felt his face turn red. Was he dreaming? He'd pinch himself to double check, but he was almost too scared of ruining the moment. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Winry pulled away, and Ed could see her face was just as red as his was. She turned back to the casheir, who's mouth had dropped open in shock.

"It doesn't matter. You won't be invited. Now, how much is all of this?" Winry asked, acting as if nothing had happened. The only thing which betrayed her was her beet-red face.

"Um... It's f-five-thousand sens..." the cashier responded, stuttering. The mechanic pulled out her wallet, counting out the money.

"Here you go," Winry said, smiling cheerfully. With that sorted out, she grabbed the groceries and strolled out the door. Ed followed, grabbing what was left, a dumb expression across his face. They walked through the rest of the small town in complete silence. Finally, once they were on a road which no other people were walking on, Ed decided to speak up, breaking the akward silence between them.

"Um... Winry? Why did you..." he trailed off, almost uncertain that it had actually happened. Winry stopped walking, as if pondering her answer, a trace of her blush from before reappearing.

Finally she answered.

"I don't like baseless rumors."

* * *

A/N:

I started this one in the summer before last. And finished it last night. So the writing style kind of changes in the middle. It was part of a series of fanfiction one-shots, two more of which I'll be posting later(though, consecutively, they come before this one).

I dunno how long I'll be able to keep up with the daily updates, but I'm having fun with it, so hopefully for a bit longer.

Enjoy!


	8. Vengence

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 8 - Vengence

((Spoilers up to Manga Chapter 46 ahead))

* * *

"Do you remember a couple of Amestrian doctors named Rockbell?" Of course he did. How could he forget? The first to victims to his brother's curse. "When the Ishballan Civil War was at it's bloodiest, they risked their lives by going to the southern front to treat refugees." The blonde alchemist standing in front of him was seething with anger. It was clear he wanted to get even.

"Scar!! Do you remember the kind, loving husband and wife who save your life, and whose lives you then took!?" The Ishballan's eyes opened wide. The alchemist knew of his most regrettable moment. Somewhere deep inside, Scar felt he should be asking for forgiveness, but some sort of automatic reaction in him told him that he should get rid of the evidence. With hardly a second of thought, he dashed forward, his dangerous right arm extended. The alchemist backed up, trying to get away, but his shoe caught on some loose piece of debris, and he fell backwards. Scar used this moment to strike, his hand firmly latched onto the blonde head. Usually, he would offer a moment of prayer, but before he could even think to do so, the crackle of energy down his arm had already informed the Ishballan he had successfully sought vengence on yet another Amestrian.

"'Niisan!"

"ED!"

Scar turned, his gaze blank. The suit of armor hadn't moved at all, apparently in shock. However, there was another person standing there, which he hadn't noticed at first. A girl who had the face of the doctors which continually haunted his nightmares. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at the now bloody body of what must have been someone very dear to her. Her knees folded under her, and her shoulders shook with sobs.

"No... Not Ed... The backs... they looked too similar..." Scar looked down at the Amestrian girl with a bit of pity as she continued muttering. However, what he didn't notice was how her eyes found a gun left by one of the military officers. He noticed when, shakily, she began reaching out for it, but made no motion to stop her, not even when the gun point was pointed straight at him. Somehow, he was transfixed on her eyes. They were filled with such absolute hatred - something he'd never before seen in a girl her age. It was sickening.

And he had caused that hatred.

"Give him back," she shispered, a biting tone despite the volume. "Give him back!" Now it was obvious she was going to try and shoot him, but it was equally as obvious she had never taken a life before. He hands were trembling as she held the gun, and not because of her sobbing anymore.

She was scared.

The suit of armor continued to stand rooted to the ground where it had been since its brother had died. Vaugely, the suit reached out, in a sort of half-thought out attempt to stop the girl.

"Winry... please don't..."

However, almost as soon as it asked her to stop, she squeezed the trigger, her eyes shut tight. A single shot fired.

It didn't take the stabbing pain through his chest for Scar to know he was going to die. It made sense.

After all, one who lives seeking vengence is bound to die as part of it.

* * *

A/N:

This idea hit me, and I had to write it. First time ever even attempting to write Scar. So I'm sure it came out bad. And you know what would fix all of this?

A beta reader!

But anyways, I apologize for killing Ed. And killing Scar. But mostly Ed. I hope none of you seek to return the favor for me.

Enjoy!


	9. Home

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 9 - Home

* * *

Resembool. His hometown. Where his childhood memories were. Where he could find the remains of the only home he'd ever had.

Why was he dreading going back?

Edward shifted his position on the train, finding he had more room in his seat than he had originally believed. As he glanced to the person sitting across from him, the alchemist knew why he was dreading this trip. The person wasn't the usually smiling face of his younger brother. It wasn't even the empty suit of armor that had served as his brother's body for five years. No, Al was gone. Forever.

The young man formerly known as the Fullmetal Alchemist opened his mouth widely as he pretended to yawn. It was simply an act, meant to hide the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. The only way Edward had wanted to come back to Resembool was with Al by his side, so Winry could see that he had fulfilled his promises. _All_ of his promises. However, he didn't have the choice over whether or not to come back here. There was simply nowhere else in Amestris left to go. He had no money. Once again, he would be forced to rely on the kindness of the Rockbell household.

The train let out a long high-pitched whistle as it reached the station in Resembool. A few of the people on the train picked up their bags, preparing to leave the train as quickly as possible. Edward simply pushed himself up in his seat, having no bags of his own to gather. In fact, he didn't have any belongings at all apart from the clothes on his back. The Gate didn't exactly give him time to pack. Riza Hawkeye, the one replacing his brother's usual spot across from him, had nothing as well. She obviously didn't plan to stay here long. It was simply her duty to make sure he got back safely, nothing furthur than that. Not military duty - Edward was no longer part of that. It had been Riza's personal choice to come with him. He was touched, but it did make him feel a little helpless somehow.

It was no time at all before the train had stopped and the people had filtered off. Edward sat in his seat as long as he could without the train taking him to the next stop. As happy as he was to be back, he was also a little scared. Winry wouldn't be happy with the condition of his automail. He hadn't been taking very good care of it - couldn't take very good care of it. Automail wasn't a common item where he'd been. Maybe she would throw a wrench at him, throwing angry insults and curses along with it.

Actually, the wrench was the least of Edward's worries.

Finally Riza stood up, signaling he should do so as well. Much to the young man's relief and discomfort, Resembool had hardly changed at all. The same man, though quite a bit older, still issued greetings to the people arriving, and called out departing trains for those who were leaving. He didn't recognize the blonde alchemist, but it was probably just as well.

The normally short walk to the Rockbell Automail Shop seemed much longer than usual. Each step was a different memory; a game of tag, another lost fight, a small scrape. Whenever he thought the stoic woman next to him wasn't looking, Ed would bring a hand up to brush away a few stray tears. Since when was he such a crybaby anyways? Winry wouldn't want to see him like this. He didn't _want_ her to see him like this.

After an eternity, which was in actuality only five minutes, the Rockbell's home came into view. Edward could tell Riza was looking at him to judge his reaction. He wasn't sure how he should be reacting. He was about to go back to his wrench-wielding mechanic whom he hadn't seen for three years. And he didn't even have Alphonse to back him up. It was troubling. Before he could collect himself, Lt. Col. Riza Hawkeye knocked on the door of the Rockbell home. A woman's voice came through the door, muffled through the thick wood.

Ed felt his heart pound inside his chest. That was really Winry. His childhood friend, his mechanic, all the same, someone he thought he'd never see again. And she was on the other side of that door.

It almost felt as if time slowed down, just for this moment. One million thoughts raced through Edward's mind. Would she be angry? Would she yell at him? Would she even recognize him?

Would she ask where Alphonse was? Would she hate him for leaving her behind?

The door creaked open, revealing a Winry much the same as Edward remembered seeing three years ago. She wore a falsely cheery expression typical of Winry, and opened her mouth to speak. "Hello. How can I help y-" The young woman cut her sentence short as a wave of recognition flooded through her face. For a moment, she just stood there, a shocked expression on her face. She managed to choke out "Edward?" as her expression changed to one of great relief. However, as her eyes flicked to Riza, the spot where Al should have been standing, her face fell.

She knew.

A small, sad smile spread across Winry's face a few moments later as she stepped forward, wrapping Edward in a loose embrace. He noticed, almost absent-mindedly, that they were now the same height. It didn't really matter anymore.

"Welcome back, Edward."

And in that single moment, Ed knew that there was really no place in the world he'd rather be than right here.

Home.

* * *

A/N:

This is part of that old one-shot series I told you about. This was the first one in the series. You've already read the fourth, and the third isn't EdWin. I'll post the second one tomorrow, though, hopefully.

Though NaNoWriMo is also coming up, so I may not have a lot of time for one-shots for a while. But I'll durn well try!

Enjoy!


	10. Coping

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 10 - Coping

* * *

It had been two months since Pinako had passed away. Winry had done her best to cope, tried to focus on what was ahead of her instead of looking back on everyone that had left her. However, she had lacked a shoulder to cry on when she had need to cry. No one left was close enough to her to offer comfort. She had done her best to keep up with everything that had been thrown at her - just because her grandmother was dead didn't mean her automail jobs were all finished. A month later, as she had slowly began slipping behind in her work, she had gotten an unexpected visitor. Or, more an unexpected guest.

Edward had come back.

Even though it meant she'd have one extra job to do, it was nice to have somebody else in the house. Also, somehow, he gave her the shoulder she had needed to cry on. He didn't do much as far as comforting words went, but he would sit there patiently if she broke down into tears - let her lean against him for support. Just being there was enough. However, she knew that he was dealing with his own form of grief as well.

Alphonse hadn't returned with his brother. Winry hadn't asked about it yet - she was almost afraid to do so. She knew it would be a touchy subject, but the thought kept nagging at the back of her mind. Was he dead? Was he still stuck back at the place Ed had been? Should she be expecting him back? Would there ever be a chance she'd she him again?

Now, as Winry was making some adjustments and repairs to Ed's automail, she was considering bringing the question up. Winry, surprisingly, hadn't been angry with Edward for not taking care of his mechanical arm. She couldn't easily blame him if there wasn't any automail in the world he had come back from. As she worked on tightening a loosened screw, she decided to speak.

"Ed? Can I ask you a question?" her voice came out somewhat strained, probably from having her head bent at such an odd angle to see what she was doing. Or maybe because she knew what she was about to ask him.

"Yeah, sure." Winry paused in her work, reconsidering if she really wanted to ask now. What if Edward got mad? What if he left her alone?

'_No, he wouldn't do that... He's got nowhere else to go,_' Winry assured herself, slowly gathering up the courage to push the question out of her mouth.

"What happened to Al?" The words came out fast and somewhat slurred, but she could tell he understood it perfectly. With her left hand on his shoulder to keep the arm in position she could easily feel his muscles tighten as the words poured out of her mouth. Before she even looked to his face, she knew his expression. Strained, with just a hint of sadness.

"It's not your business, alright?" he said, looking away. For a moment, Winry thought she would be content to continue working on the automail and wait until later.

But then the thought came to her: what did he mean "none of her business"? She tried not to yell as she replied. No, it wouldn't do any good to yell at him. But she did deserve to know.

"Alphonse was one of my best friends. I grew up with him just like you did. I think I have a right to know what happened to him!" she said, her voice shaking from the effort of trying not to scream at him. Edward remained facing away from her, so she couldn't judge his expression well. However, she could still hear him clearly - hear the overwhelming grief in his voice as he began to speak.

"Al and I found this powerful wepon in the other world... it ended up opening the way back here. But to go through we still needed to sacrifice something... Al- He... decided to give himself up." Edward took a deep, shuddering breath. Winry felt her heart ache. She could already anticipate the next words coming... "He's gone, Winry."

The mechanic moved from her previous position to sit straight up, no longer acting as if she were repairing his automail. She put her hand over his automail hand in a comforting motion, even if he wouldn't be able to feel it. Winry could already feel tears coming to her own eyes. She had already suspecting Al was dead, but to hear it said, to have it be confirmed... Edward turned to face her, eyes also glimmering with unshed tears. He blamed himself. There wasn't a question about it - this was Ed. He blamed himself for his brother's death, even if it wasn't his fault.

"By the way... Al says "Hi," Edward said, somehow managing a small smile. Winry smiled too. Typical Al. Always thinking of others before himself...

And a few moments later, Winry wasn't sure whether she was laughing or crying.

* * *

A/N:

10th ficlet! Yay! Of course, it isn't the best ficlet ever, but I wrote it two years ago. Cut me some slack. This is also kind of a sequel to the ninth one, since it's part of that old oneshot series. And the third one has a nice detailed description of just what exactly happened to poor Al. I might post it as a separate oneshot if enough of you really want to see it, I guess.

But anyways. Enjoy!


	11. Emotionless

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 11 - Emotionless

* * *

"My own will? There's no way..."

"Now, what was that girl's name? Right. It was Winry Rockbell." Ed couldn't help but look somewhat surprised at the name. Yet, other than slightly widened eyes, he showed no recognition that it was something important. Wrath went on talking. "A girl who is your childhood friend. An automail mechanic. Born in Resembool. Someone equivalent to family for you. Right now she is working in Rush Valley... she is a blessing both to her friends and valued customers. A nice, honest girl."

Ed seemed unbothered by the recitation of Winry's life. He stayed seated, his eyes gradually returning to their normal width. He made no move to get angry with Wrath for the subtle threat he had just issued. "What about her? She's my automail mechanic. Should I find another one? I'm dropping my title. Keep the damn watch. Give it to somebody else. I'm not going to help sacrifice this country for your plan - whatever it may be." He could tell Al and Colonel Bastard were looking at him in alarm, but Ed made no sign he noticed what he was doing was odd. The Fuher looked slightly alarmed too, but it didn't matter in the long run. He got the point.

The Fullmetal Alchemist's expression showed only slight irritation, not full-blown rage as could be expected. Meaning he was either incredibley good at acting - which Wrath already believed to be false due to the incident in Dublith - or he honestly didn't care.

The alchemist and homunculus stared at each other for a long moment before Ed stood up, preparing to leave. "C'mon Al," he said to the suit of armor next to him. "Let's leave this hellhole for good."

---

Ed let out a small groan as he sat uselessly on the train heading north, going over all of the possible what-if scenarios in his head. If only he had been able to remain calm, things would have been better. He wouldn't have given away his feelings for Winry in front of everybody, and made her a hostage. He would have been free, she would have been safe, Father's plans might have been halted, even if just long enough to let them find out what they were.

But as it were, his collar had only been tightened.

It was too late to try and act as if he didn't care.

It was now obvious he cared too much.

* * *

A/N:

Really don't like this one very much. Shame that it has to mark the end of the daily updates. But I'm tired so I won't elaborate.

Enjoy!


	12. Engagement

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 12 - Engagement

* * *

Roy was bored. Very bored. He had mountains of paperwork to do, but nothing to distract him from it. Edward was currently off in Rush Valley somewhere with his mechanic, Riza was taking a day of vacation today, and his other subordinates refused to talk to him due to the fact it was mostly their paperwork he was supposed to be signing. 

So, in order to divert his attention, he was looking through all of his subordinate's official records. He discovered that Fuery had been raised primarily by his mother, that Breda was the single son among six children, and that Falman was definitely prematurely gray. So next up was Edward Elric.

The file stated the basics - Name, a picture(which was a year old), gender, date of birth, height, weight(unbelievabley heavy due to automail), status of family(dead, missing, alive). All pretty basic stuff, most of which Roy already knew. However, one interesting piece of information stuck out rather prominently.

Marital Status: Engaged to Winry Rockbell.

The colonel's eyes shot up in surprise. Well, this was even more interesting than Breda's five sisters. Why hadn't this ever come up in conversation before? Could it be that he didn't know?

Roy Mustang's eyes glinted mischeviously as he reached for the phone. Well, this was something to do at least.

-------

"Wait, so Colonel Bastard was telling the truth? Me and Winry are actually..." Ed asked, incredulous. He, Al, and Winry were currently sitting in the Rockbell Automail Shop in Resembool, Pinako sitting in the rocking chair in front of them.

"I'm afraid so. Happened when you two were too young to remember. Your father felt he needed to leave soon, but wanted to leave some connection to the Rockbell family. So both of your parents agreed to have you two engaged, at least until you were eighteen, when you were allowed to break it off if you chose." She paused, letting out a ring of smoke from her pipe. "Of course, I think they meant to tell you this themselves, but I'm afraid I'm the only one left who was around to witness the deal. Of course, I figure you're mature enough now to break it off, if you want to. Just say the words, and this will never be mentioned again."

Edward and Winry looked at each other, as if they were able to mentally debate over what would be the best choice.

Winry was mostly in shock that she was actually engaged to Ed, whom she had only recently determined she'd loved for a very long time. And to think that her parents had arranged such a thing... Would turning it down be disrespectful?

Edward was having a similar delima. He was engaged to Winry, whom he was pretty sure he'd had a crush on since he was about five. And recently, he was certain that crush had become much bigger than a crush, though he would never admit it out loud to anybody. He couldn't care less about his father's wishes, but his mother had taken place in this too, hadn't she? And he didn't want to do anything against what she wanted if he could help it.

"I'm fine with how things are now."

"I don't want to break it off."

The two blondes looked at each other in surprise, almost shocked the other had been alright with how things were. Then, simultaneously, a deep red blush touched both of their faces. Pinako grinned.

"That's what I thought."

* * *

A/N: 

I was forced into this one by CeruleanSan. She mentioned something along the lines of "wouldn't it be awesome if they were already married without their knowledge" and I thought it would be a funny ficlet idea. Then she made me write it. Such a cruel, cruel person.

I don't really like it all too well, though. She's also making me post it. Meh.

Enjoy!


	13. Don't Die

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 13 - Don't Die

* * *

Winry had never felt so horrible in her life. Only a month or two ago, she had been wondering whether her best friends were feeling alright - they had been ignoring school, ignoring their health, ignoring _her_. And then, one day, Al showed up at her door as a suit of armor, his bleeding brother in his arms.

A few weeks later, the military had shown up, and Edward had undergone the surgery for automail.

A few days ago, he'd come down with a horrible fever, on top of the excruciating pain still left over from the surgery, and had been having feverish dreams. He would apologize to Al in his better moments, guilt overcoming him as he questioned whether or not his brother blamed him. And in moments where the fever fully took hold, he would start talking to his mother or father, apologizing to the former, and cursing out the latter. Winry spent all of her time watching over the brothers, sitting by Edward's bedside to monitor his fever and calm him down from his feverish nightmares. Once her grandmother finally kicked her out of Edward's room, she would go to spend time with Al, staying up as late as she could to ease what must have been long nights for him.

But days had passed, and Edward's fever didn't seem to be abiding. She had done all she could, but it seemed that nothing she had tried had helped. Her grandmother had tried to tell her that everything would be fine - that Ed was tough, and that he'd get over it - but she didn't believe that. She knew the statistics. One in every twenty automail patients died either during the surgery itself, or afterwards from a mistake in the wiring, or an infection.

Winry stared at her friend, trying not to cry. Ed couldn't die, could he? After all, Granny was the best automail mechanic in the East! She wouldn't mess up... However, Winry's brain handily reminded her that she had also helped in the surgery, and she was still barely an apprentice.

Ed's eyes cracked open, squinting at her through the fever and pain. Winry almost felt her heart stop. It hadn't been the first time he'd looked at her - most of the times, she was confused for his mother - but she still couldn't help it. She still wanted to believe that he was getting better.

"Winry...?" he croaked, sounding more pathetic than she had ever heard - even before that Mustang guy had come. Carefully, she placed a hand on his forehead, a small frown on her face. He was still warm as ever.

He really was sick.

And if he died, then wouldn't it be her fault?

"Don't die."

Years later, Ed didn't realize just how familiar that phrase was to him, until the train was long gone, and it was already too late for him to thank her for always being there.

* * *

A/N:

Hah. So, after about 3 months, I update a new oneshot. I'm proud of the ending. x3

Enjoy!


	14. Promise Kept

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 14 - Promise Kept

* * *

Edward had heard of insufferable pairs before. He'd even known some before - his teacher and her husband being prime examples. However, somehow, it was all so much worse when one of the members of the pair happened to be his younger brother and his obnoxious new girlfriend.

It had been three years since Alphonse had been released from his armored prison. Everything had gone perfectly - Winry had cried tears of joy, and promptly presented Al with an entire apple pie. The corruptness of the military had been revealed, and Olivier had become Fuhrer, much to Mustang's dismay. Ling had been released from Greed's presence, and Edward had even heard that Xing had a new emperor from the Yao clan. Most everyone had gotten their happy ending.

At first, it didn't seem that way for Mei Chan, the petite Xingian girl who had tried and failed to teach them Rentanasu. She was not going to allow herself to return to her home country without the secret to immortality, and with Ling having such an advantage over her, she wouldn't have stood much of a chance in the first place. So, instead, both Winry and Al had invited her to live in Resembool with them.

Winry claimed that Mei had had an obvious crush on Alphonse from the moment they met and, though Edward had never actually seen it, he supposed that was something of a consolation prize for the girl.

He still felt a little jealous. After all, Winry didn't have enough room in her home for three extra guests, and he and Al had been "asked" to get their own place. Edward had to admit, he'd liked living with Winry just a little bit. Sure, she was loud, and enjoyed bashing his brains in every so often, but it was... oddly relaxing. And then the little girl had to go in and ruin everything.

Then she had started to grow up, and the kindness that Al showed towards her began to shift from the general kindness he showed towards every person on the street to the kind he used when trying to get somebody to like him.

And then they started dating.

Things just went downhill from there.

It had only been two months, and they were supposedly taking it slow - Alphonse had assured Edward they hadn't even kissed yet - but they had already become inseparable.

The moment in time he was currently experiencing was the perfect example. The four of them were sitting in Winry's living room more or less silently, engulfed in their own activities. Winry was sitting in her favorite arm chair, tinkering with some sort of remote control device. Al and his petite little girlfriend were "cuddling" on the couch, faces almost touching. And Edward himself was sitting in a rickety old rocking chair, pretending to read a book on alchemy that he'd already memorized, while stealthily peaking out at the happy couple from behind the book pages. He narrowed his eyes.

Al had promised him years ago that he would not beat Ed to his first kiss. Given, that had been while in the armor, and it would have been difficult for Al to kiss somebody, but as far as Ed was concerned, that still counted. He was not about to let his baby brother beat him.

Embarrassingly, Edward had not yet experienced his first kiss. He supposed the lame romantics would say he was simply waiting for the right girl to come along, but he knew that wasn't the case. The right girl already had come along, he'd just never gotten a chance to kiss her. He wanted to. He really wanted to.

But for as much as he wanted to kiss Winry, he feared her reaction just as much. He had lived through a wrench to the head for busting up her automail - he didn't want to think of what would happen to his head if he forced a kiss onto her. He might die.

So for now, recieving his first kiss was out of the question.

But Al wouldn't break his promise, would he?

Ed stared at Al and Mei intently with jealous gold eyes, watching as their faces slowly turned towards one another, and their lips drew nearer together. He felt his heart race. Al was going to break his promise!

Suddenly, Edward threw his book to the ground and stood up, effectively distracting the two lovers. Mei looked up at him dangerously, like she was about to bite his throat out, where as Al just looked somewhat curious. Winry seemed to caught up in whatever contraption she was working on to notice.

"I'm not going to allow you to break your promise, Al," Edward declared, face determined. Of course, there was a very easy way to solve this problem. But Mei hated him enough already, and his own brother was certainly out of the question. This left Winry.

She would probably attack him with a wrench, but it was nothing he hadn't faced before. And this was all for the greater good!

With his mind made up, Edward strode over to Winry - and now she was looking up at him - leaned over, and kissed her right on the mouth. He braced himself for impact. She had her wrench on hand, and would not be happy that her work had been interrupted. However, he heard her drop her wrench in shock, meaning she'd probably smack him instead, which would have been well-deserved.

But she did something else entirely. Something Edward hadn't accounted for.

She kissed back.

* * *

A/N -

Wow. Finally, after about 6 months, I update with a new one-shot. xD Yeah. This was inspired by Ceruleansan's meme on dA, where she mentioned Al couldn't get his first kiss before Ed.

I decided to test this theory.

It isn't the best one-shot, but I hope you liked it anyways. x3

Enjoy!


	15. Wakeup Call

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 15 - Wake-up Call

* * *

Winry pondered over the sleeping form of her husband. She would love to say he looked like an angel when he slept, but this was far from the truth. He always somehow managed to pull his shirt up and expose his stomach in the middle of the night, and would then scratch it unconciously. That wouldn't be too bad on its own, but he also left his mouth wide open, and a small strand of saliva was hanging off the corner of his mouth. He had the loudest, most aggravating snore, too.

The mechanic was fairly certain that angels did not sleep in this manner.

"Ed," she urged quietly. She knew this wouldn't work, but at least when she brought in her back up, he couldn't complain that she hadn't tried. "Ed, wake up. We're having guests today, remember? You need to get up and get ready." She heard snickering behind her and shhed the snickerers for the time being.

Not yet.

Her husband did not even twitch at her voice however, which wasn't much of a surprise. The Fullmetal Alchemist was a very heavy sleeper. She sighed.

"Alchemy freak," she demanded, voice louder this time. "You need to get your lazy butt out of bed or Roy will laugh when he sees you still in your boxers and undershirt." More snickering ensued from behind her, and this time, she didn't bother shushing them.

Edward still showed no signs of hearing her. She sighed again. Well, he'd had his chance.

"Maes, Matt. Attack."

At once, two very energetic twin boys leaped onto the bed and onto their father's exposed stomach, giggling happily as they did so. Maes pulled at a loose strand of Edward's hair, where as Matt seemed content to simply push the wind out of the alchemist. Suddenly, Edward shot up, sending his sons sprawling onto the other side of the bed. He gasped for air and glanced to Winry, who seemed to be rather proud of her accomplishment.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" he shouted out, turning a groggy glare on his wife. "So what? You're turning my own flesh and blood against me now?"

"Basically," Winry said, failing to supress the mischeivous grin from crossing her face.

"I'm going to get you back one day," he threatened, slowly beginning to slide out of bed. "ALL of you," he added, turning to face his sons.

The only response he gained was three sets of very unthreatened giggles.

* * *

A/N: And here's the return of my Edwin babies. Who inherited their parents diabolical genes, obviously.

I didn't go over this much. Wrote it quickly. Wrote it late at night. It's not amazing, but I _do_ like the first two paragraphs.

Enjoy!

(PS - If you would read my story "Repeat: Collection" at my fictionpress account TehStripe, I would love you.)


	16. Nothing

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 16 - Nothing

* * *

Nothing.

She was nothing. She had no beginning. No end.

Nothing.

She felt no hatred. No love. No fear. No sadness, happiness.

Nothing.

She was a blank slate which had been cast aside long ago. She had a body, but no soul. She had a mind, but only one memory.

Death.

She had been a young woman once. She had been something. She had a beginning - she had her end. She had a beautiful and simple face. Long blonde hair, blue eyes. She had loved ones. She had feelings, she had goals. Now?

Nothing.

Nothing but her Death. A murder. She had been killed. She remembered very little about the circumstances, only that she had been dying slowly, and that _he_ had been there. He was the only face she knew, other than her own. Gold eyes, gold hair, red clothing.

Beautiful.

She knew that his face meant something. It was the only thing she had in her nothingness. _He_ was the only thing she had - she had to find him. Through her nothingness, she found a purpose. She didn't know what her purpose entailed, simply that she had to fufill it. She needed to find him, or she felt she'd remain as she was.

Nothing.

Her quest remained fruitless for the longest time. She had nothing to follow. She had no name. No city. No place. As usual, she had nothing. Nothing but a face. Nothing but a purpose. She wasn't sure what compelled her to find this face. It was as if she felt that, upon seeing it, she would stop being nothing, and become complete. Become something.

Human.

One day, she found him. She was in a small rural town she didn't know the name of. It felt significant somehow. She found him standing in front of what seemed to be the burnt remains of a house, looking somber. He recognized her, as she knew he would. He seemed startled by her appearance. Scared, almost. He called her a name - "Winry." Then he looked at her with such great warmth in his eyes that she knew Winry's heart would have melted. She felt...

Nothing.

Within that nothingness, she felt betrayal. She almost felt angry at him. He had been her purpose - he was the one who was supposed to save her from what she wasn't. He was supposed to give her meaning. He was supposed to let her feel. He was supposed to let her exist. He did nothing. He simply looked at her with pity, trying to fufill his own selfish wishes that "Winry" was still alive. Winry had begun and ended. She was all that was left. He couldn't see past her appearance to fix her.

He was human.

He cut like a human.

He was beautiful.

His blood spilled onto the ground beautifully.

He was dead.

He was nothing.

She turned around from this brutal murder, her expression blank. She had lost her purpose. She had lost the only reason she had let herself live. She had gotten rid of it - him - herself. She had gotten rid of her one connection to the world. She had gotten rid of Winry's last connection to the world. She had preformed a horrible action. She felt one tear - two, three - begin to slide down her cheeks. She had killed her purpose for living. She had basically killed herself. She had spilled innocent blood. And finally, she came to a conclusion.

She felt.

Nothing.

* * *

A/N -

This is one of the darker fics that will be in this collection. For that I apologize. I also apologize for killing Ed. Again. I also aplogize for this making next to no sense whatsoever.

But I kind of like it anyways.

As for what's up with Winry... that's up to interpretation. But I see it as an anime version where she got revived as a homunculus of sorts.

By the way, more advertising. If you want to read a chapter Edwin fic, go read my new story "Death on a Silver Platter." Despite the title, it really isn't that morbid.

Enjoy!


	17. Back

The EdWin Chronicles

Written By - Stripe

Excerpt 17 - Back

* * *

For as long as I can remember, I've been watching his back.

Those many years ago, I recall him tapping me on the shoulder and running off, not looking back, as a playful "Tag! You're it!" trailed behind him. I didn't realize that this simple action would set a precedent for our relationship. I chased after him, of course.

It was just a game, wasn't it?

It was only a few years later that I stared at his back with tearful eyes, watching as he held back his own tears over his mother's grave. I felt for him; he hardly remembered that I -- or anybody else -- was there. I reached out to comfort him.

It was what a good friend would do, right?

Before long, he had regained his footing. He decided to leave on his own -- training, he said. The last thing I saw before the train swept him away was his back. I recall crying - I was just a little girl losing her best friend. He was too young to leave home. I was too young to _let_ him leave home. I watched the train pull away until it was nothing but a speck on the horizon.

He would come back, wouldn't he?

He came back, of course. He had promised he would.

Then he injured himself, and hurt his remaining family with him. Then, he left it to my family to heal him, as we always did. For a time, I didn't see his back. I helped nurse his wounds. I comforted him. I told him everything would be alright. He listened.

Then he stood on his own two legs and turned his back to me again. He left home -- left me -- again. Claimed he had to right his wrongs, correct his sins. He refused to listen to logic, determined to carve out his own path. I let him go, holding back my tears. I didn't want to cry

Surely one day he would realize that he had done nothing wrong.

From there, I saw him sporadically. There was a three month gap here, half a year here. Ironically, it wasn't until I finally decided to move away and move forward that I began to see him more often. Still, I seemed to be a few steps behind him - perpetually following his back. I followed faithfully.

Somewhere along the line, I realized how broad his shoulders had become.

It seemed that no matter where he went, danger followed. On more than one occasion, I found myself walking alongside it, and we exchanged pleasantries. He tried to keep us separated. He tried to keep himself separate from me.

One image remains clear in my head. In a time of crisis, he leaped to save me, putting himself between me and his own demons. He faced them, arms stretched out in front of me. This time, I let the tears fall freely. Because of my own incompetence, he had risked his life to save me. Save _me_. I commited this image to memory.

It didn't escape my notice, however, that his back was facing me as it always was.

After that, he made a promise, just as my own train was about to depart. He stared me in the eye, and declared it loudly as possible. I will never forget his face; never forget his voice.

"Next time I make you cry, you'll be weeping tears of joy!"

We left each other after that. Whenever we did meet up again, it was but for a moment before he had to leave again and turn his back to me again. Finally, we both found ourselves in our hometown once more. We were at a crossroads. He was about to face the battle of his life; I was simply coming back home. He made me promise to wait for him -- had the audacity to ask me to stay as I was. I watched his back recede once last time, this time with dry eyes. I kept my promise.

Now, it has been nine months since I last saw him. I've done as he's asked. I've waited for him. That simple promise has kept me tied to this town for nearly a year. I refuse to leave.

I will not allow my last memory of him to be his back.

* * *

A/N:

This was done for creative writing, actually, hence the utter lack of names. We were supposed to incorporate symbolism into a short story. And I ended up writing a fanfic. But yes.

There are four symbols in this that I meant to use. Two are obvious, two not so much. Can you find them?

Enjoy!


End file.
